Seriously injured soldiers would get up to $70,000 from new payment — Tories to push through authorization of Syria air mission — ‘Rapid evacuation’ plans in place should Canadian jet go down in Syria: Kenney — Mysterious conservative group finds way around election spending limits — Trail of donations favours Tories in coming vote — Air Canada AC624 touched down 335 metres short of runway, TSB says — Cities need Ottawa’s help to take on climate change — John Baird has a new job — Ottawa says it won’t extend minimum grain volumes — Danielle Smith apologizes after angry text to Global News reporter — Wildrose selects former MP as leader — Oakville mourns Max Khan after town councillor dies suddenly — New Brunswick deaths topped births for first time last year — Bashar al-Assad, Syria president, says U.S.-led strikes haven’t slowed ISIS — Iran backs away from key detail in nuclear deal — And finally, is the pen mightier than the sword?

Despite the opposition across the floor, the Conservatives are expected to use their majority to authorize the extension of the combat mission in Iraq and its expansion into Syria today in the House. That will see Canadian fighter jets bombing targets in both countries for the next 12 months. As the Globe’s Shawn McCarthy writes, “The government insists it can expand the fight to Syria against the Islamic State and avoid being dragged into the civil war in which the extremist Sunni faction and other opposition groups are attempting to overthrow the brutal Bashar al-Assad regime, or indeed into the widening war between Sunnis and Shiites.” And if it means aligning with someone like al-Assad, who’s used chemical weapons on his own people, so be it. Speaking on CTV’s Question Period, Defence Minister Jason Kenney said: “We’re not going to allow our objections to the Assad regime to give [Islamic State] a safe haven in a part of the country that it controls uncontested by the Syrian government.”

Kenny reiterated that this mission is focused on Iraq and Syria. “We have absolutely no intention of taking military action of any kind in or around Yemen,” he said. “None of those groups in Yemen have declared war on Canada.”

Declared war? There are more than a few who have accused the Conservatives of using that kind of talk and the threat of ISIS to appeal to their voter base in an election year. Among them? Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. “I think there’s a political election strategy at play,” she said last week. “There is a lot politics going on here. We’re dealing in international affairs, where we should tread carefully.”

The Conservative Party of Canada’s former executive director has set up what could be a game-changing new organization to raise money and promote the benefits of “a strong, stable Conservative government” while bypassing the legal limits on fundraising faced by political parties, iPolitics has learned. Conservative Voice is actively seeking donations from companies to help it counter Liberal and NDP viewpoints it says are being funded by institutions “on the left of the political spectrum.” Documents filed with Industry Canada show only one director for the non-profit corporation – former Conservative Party executive director Dan Hilton, who refused to answer any questions about who else is part of Conservative Voice or how much money it has raised.

There’s sad news out of Oakville, where town councillor Max Khan died suddenly on the weekend. The 45-year-old had served three terms on council and was poised to run for the federal Liberals in the upcoming election. On Twitter yesterday, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said he was “very saddened” by Khan’s death.”My heart is with his loved ones— he will be sorely missed.”

Canada’s fifth CC-177 Globemaster aircraft will make its inaugural landing in Canada and be officially welcomed into the Royal Canadian Air Force’s fleet by Defence Minister Jason Kenney and Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin in Trenton.

Industry Minister James Moore delivers an address at an event hosted by the Kingston Economic Development Corp.

Mercy For Animals Canada releases shocking hidden-camera video of animal abuse secretly recorded at a poultry producer in Ontario.

International Trade Minister Ed Fast, in partnership with Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, hosts an export workshop in Uxbridge which will provide tools and information to help small and medium-sized enterprises reach their full export potential.

With a deal deadline fast approaching to reach a nuclear agreement, Iran backed away from a key element yesterday. The New York Times reports that Iran says it’s no longer willing to ship its atomic fuel out of the country, despite having tentatively agreed for months to send a large portion of its uranium stockpile to Russia.